The Madness of Memories
by Reading Addicted
Summary: Despite knowing him for months, Jaune doesn't know Ren very well. Not his hobbies, not his interests, not even his hometown. After he sees Ren up to some pretty odd stuff with Nora, Jaune wants to know more then is good for him. The explanation Jaune gets about his walking enigma of a teammate may just be enough to tear the team apart for good.


Jaune would be the first to admit that he didn't know a lot about his team mate, Lie Ren. The magenta eyed boy was as quiet as a church mouse, seldom speaking unless spoken to. Jaune could barely remember a time when Ren had ever purposely spoken to him about his interests, hobbies, or even his childhood. However, there was someone Ren did tell these things to. That's where things got a little more complicated.

Jaune had a bittersweet knack for stumbling in on things that weren't any of his business. He still shuddered at the memory of walking into Team RWBY's room without knocking. His face still hurt from Yang's fist to his face.

This knack of Jaune's prevented Ren from being a _complete _mystery to him. For example, Jaune had come back from his extra training a tad earlier than usual; Pyrrha had gone to the library to finish a project. The door to their room wasn't completely shut, which was unusual. The blonde leader of the team had been a hair's breadth from entering the room when he saw it.

Jaune could barely believe the sight. Ren had tears softly dripping out of his eyes like a mountain stream. In his arms was a sobbing Nora, and she was muttering something about a village and her parents and telling Ren to run. She was twitching in his arms like she was possessed. Ren sighed like his heart was breaking. Like he was breaking his heart once again. Ren seemingly reached to pet Nora's head, but the familiar magenta Aura leak into nearly manic Nora's temple.

The effect was instantaneous. Her muscles stopped jerking; her sobs ceased. Nora seemed to fall into a peaceful sleep as a look of anguish came over her best friend and partner. He mouthed an apology before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Ren's eyes suddenly blazed with an amethyst fire as he set down the now sleeping girl, and as quickly as it started, the light faded like a candle being blown out. Jaune, silent for a change, backed away from the spectacle with the stealth of a spider as Ren collapsed into his bed.

As Jaune contemplated this a few nights later, he still had no idea what happened between the two. Nora had been her usual hyperactive and bubbly self the next day, almost as if she had no memory of the scene Jaune had witnessed. Ren, on the other hand, was unusually tired. He had fallen asleep in two classes, and he had certainly paid for it when Goodwitch made him duel with Yang.

As Jaune thought back, he couldn't recall Ren willingly separating from Nora all day, except for hygienic matters of course. Jaune knew they were best friends, but the obsessive attachment Ren had shown that day was certainly odd. Jaune knew that the partners weren't dating, so that wasn't it. The whole thing, and other moments he had caught them with, left the leader scratching his head.

**Bam!** The blonde was shocked out of his rumination by no other than the subjects of his ponderings themselves. Nora had decided to tackle hug him from behind. "Thanks, Nora." He muttered as he picked himself up from the floor. While the redhead was the shortest of their friends, she could made Yang's hulking strength look like a baby's, as evidenced when Nora literally blew the yellow haired girl through the roof. She came down more than two minutes later.

Thankful he didn't have a broken back, he looked up into a pair of magenta eyes watching him. Ren looked away as Nora bounced around the room, rambling on about how her day went. He had heard it all scarcely an hour before at dinner, so Jaune tuned her out as he focused on Ren.

Jaune had no idea whether Ren knew all that he had witnessed. Ren was very non-confrontational, preferring things to just be left alone. Jaune knew when to keep out of other people's business. Or at least, he tried. Ren's behavior wasn't causing him any trouble, but Jaune had a feeling it might get in the way of the team's effectiveness one day. He didn't even know what Ren's behavior was, to be honest. "Hey Nora, you have the same hometown as Ren, right?"

While Ren was generally as silent as a stone. Nora could chat her way out of death. Death would be so annoyed with her, he'd run away screaming. "Yup! We've been friends for such a looooonnnng time. I can't even remember a time without him!" Nora was more than happy to talk about her best friend and their times together.

"Where are you guys from anyway?" It was a harmless enough question. He was sure she had mentioned it before, but it must have slipped his mind.

Ren didn't seem to think so, though. His magenta eyes briefly flashed the magenta fire again. Nora developed an obviously troubled look on her face as she failed to produce an answer. "I-um. It must be. It's here somewhere…" The normally cheerfully girl seemed incredibly sad as the question raced around her mind. "I don't remember…" She turned to look at her partner when his gentle hands suddenly clasped over temples, glowing with his Aura.

Much to Jaune's bafflement, Nora blissfully collapsed into her partner's arms, sleeping as peacefully as a doll. "What the -" He was cut off by a fierce glare from his dark haired team mate as he set Nora down on her bed. With a sigh, Ren gently pushed a lock of her orange hair behind her ear as she smiled in her sudden sleep.

Ren turned to face the baffled Jaune, approaching him with a speed he didn't know Ren was capable of. The shorter male grasped his leader tightly by the shoulders and pushing him up against the wall, making Jaune look into his blazing eyes. For a moment, it seemed to Jaune that Ren might hurt him, but the amethyst fire suddenly fire suddenly winked out, leaving Jaune to catch a winded Ren. Jaune helped a panting Ren over to his desk chair.

"I guess I have to tell you know. But", Ren paused to take a gasping breath as he turned his sad eyes to his leader. "But, if you tell any of this to Nora, I'll make sure you'll never talk again." Jaune believed him.

**A/N: We know nothing about these two's backstory, and I have a theory about it that includes Ren's semblance. All will be explained in the next chapter.**

**If you want to find out what happens next, or more specifically before, please review, favorite, or follow this story. ;) **

**Thanks for reading. Have a lovely day! **


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